For the Glory of the Empire
by MechaUltimaZero
Summary: Minato wasn't as naive as most believed he was, so he asked the Reaper to put Naruto somewhere relatively safe for him. But the Yondaime probably wasn't thinking of Ivalice.... And who should find our jinchuurik, but the Judge Magister -- Gabranth?
1. Prologue: Ivalice

For the Glory of the Empire

(Prelude)

Minato loved his Village, but he wasn't naïve—he knew that if the citizens learned the truth about his son now, they would hate him.

He understood that they would need time to heal, to calm down.

So as the Reaper prepared to devour his immortal soul, the deity asked, **"Have you any last requests, mortal?"**

Minato, weak and dying, said, "I want you to take my son to a place where he can grow up like a normal child, and then return him here in a decade or so. That should be long enough for the Village to regain its senses. If you do this, I ask that you please tell Sarutobi of this, so that the Village will know my son once he returns."

The Lord of the Dead agreed, and as Minato saw only the gaping Maw rising to meet him, he heard the Reaper say, **"But I cannot guarantee that he'll want to return."**

Minato's last words were: "Then so be it."

And then there was only darkness.

________

The battle-hardened veteran could see only a burning flash of crimson light in the clearing before him, followed quickly by a silent explosion—the likes of which nothing he knew of could produce.

After a few moments, there was naught but a silence that nothing dared to break.

Chilled by the unnatural lack of noise, the soldier walked into the ashen crater, the semi-molten soil crunching beneath his feet.

It was then, near the center, that he heard it: the sound of shallow breathing.

Slightly increasing his pace, he wondered what it could possibly be—if it were a fiend, he would merely kill it.

But to his immeasureable surprise upon reaching the indentation's center, he instead found a sleeping baby covered in red energy.

It had blonde hair as yellow as the sun, and three whiskers upon each of its cheeks.

Nearing the boy, he sensed a wild, all but uncontrollable power raging within him.

The soldier decided that he would have the boy raised and trained for his own purposes—that the child would become a warrior nearly as powerful as he was.

"All the better for vengeance…"

Taking the child into his arms, he swiftly turned and marched back to his mount.

He marched out of habit, rather than protocol—he was the perfect soldier: always analyzing his enemies, always thinking tactically, ruthless in combat, using every advantage he could get.

And the Gods had just given him yet another advantage to use against his worst enemy.

Getting astride the chocobo, the seasoned warrior returned to his home, plans already forming within his mind.

Hearing a small sound, he looked at the baby to find him awake. The child's eyes were as blue as one could imagine.

Deciding to go ahead and think of a name, he said, "Child, I don't know what your birth name was, but you'll use it no longer. Your name is… Eurias. Eurias, I am your master and teacher. When you are older, you will come to fear me and to admire me. You are to be my heir in all matters, Eurias. One day, others will ask: 'Where do you come from?'"

Removing the visor on his helmet, the veteran finished his brief speech.

"And your answer will make you dangerous in their eyes, someone whom they dare not cross. When they ask you 'Whom do you call Father?', you will tell them, "Gabranth."

__________

**Short, but well-written, I think.**

**This just came to me suddenly while I was researching Gabranth on the FFWiki, and as I'm writing down pretty much any idea I can get my hands on, (yeah, my writer's block is **_**that**_** bad, despite liberal use of Force Choke and Force Lightning on it) I knew that I had to go ahead and type it up. While most of my upcoming Naru/FF crossovers are going to be mostly Naru-verse, this one will be FF-verse for quite a while, I hope—at least the next few chapters or so.**

**So please, tell me what you think—good, bad, WTF? Reviews inspire me.**


	2. Chapter One: Gabranth

For the Glory of the Empire

(Chapter One)

Gabranth was a very manipulative man, and knew exactly how to get what he wanted. It was one of the reasons why he would eventually become the Judge Magister.

But first, he would have to get revenge on his twin, Basch.

_Basch…_

Merely thinking the name made Gabranth see red. Forcibly calming himself down, he rode to the gates of Rabanastre as he replaced his visor—it would not do to show the commoners that he was, in fact, a hume as so many of the others were, and not a God or demon as they thought he was.

Even so, it was still night, and that meant that – once he dismounted his chocobo – he could move about unimpeded.

Gabranth knew of a nearby orphanage—one with a reputation for following orders left by their clients to the letter, and also for the fact that they rarely asked questions.

Both were reasons that his twin had been trying to shut it (among others) down—the fool cared far too much for those beneath him.

As he entered the building, Gabranth began writing a note for Eurias that would explain everything. If all went according to plan, then things would work out rather well indeed…

The young woman behind the counter suddenly saw him and, in obvious fear, exclaimed, "C-captain Gabranth, w-what a p-p-pleasant surprise! What can we do for you?"

Setting the bundle containing the baby on the desk and placing the letter on top, he said, "This boy's name is Eurias. He will be my heir in every matter—therefore, he is not to be adopted. When he is old enough to read, you will give him this letter. When he has read it, you will then release him into my care. You are not to let my brother know of this, under any circumstances. If you fail me, I will promptly kill your family while you are forced to watch. Am I clear, or must I explain again?"

Gulping in ever-increasing terror, the woman nodded and wrote everything down. When she looked up, she saw that Gabranth was nearly out the door.

Summoning what little courage she had, the woman said, "Sir, you may be a captain of the Emperial army, but even you will have to pay for our services."

Turning to look over his shoulder at the woman, Gabranth easily quelled her with a glare. After a moment, he said, "Very well then. Every week, you will receive an amount of gil to be used exclusively on Eurias. Any remaining will go into a trust fund for him. And for paperwork expenses now…"

He tossed a sack of gil at her that was ten times more than she was going to charge him.

"_That_ should cover everything, I believe."

With that, Gabranth walked out the door.

It would be another four years before he personally saw Eurias again.

________

(Five years later…)

For as long as Eurias could remember, he had lived in the orphanage where he'd been left. He was starting to learn to read, but it was hard.

Today, though, he was about to find a rather sudden change in his schedule.

The tutor said, "Eurias, you may go now."

Confused, he asked, "Sir, d-did I do something wrong? Because if I did, just give me a chance to fix it and–"

Looking at the boy with an amused glint in his eyes, the man—Kioran, as he was named—said, "No Eurias, you haven't done anything wrong. In fact, you're almost exceeding my expectations. It's becoming difficult to think of new lessons that keep you challenged. For this reason, I am giving you the rest of the day to go out and spend as you see fit. Besides, today's the festival that everyone else wants so badly to attend, isn't it?"

Not seeing what was so great about a festival, the boy asked, "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything? I want to be a soldier, and soldiers don't have time for festivals."

With an almost sad smile, Kioran explained, "Ah, but today is a very unique festival—Judge Gabranth is to make an appearance. I know that if I denied you this chance to see your hero in person, you would obey me for now, but plot to kill me in the most horrid way possible sooner or later. So go, meet your idol—the man who, someday, will be your commanding officer."

Eyes widening at the news that Gabranth was to appear, Eurias bolted from his desk and left the building, but not before shouting an enthusiastic "Thank you!" to Kioran.

As Eurias ran out amongst the common, regular people, he realized that he wasn't sure where he needed to be. As he saw a rather knowledgeable-looking Moogle, he ran up to them and asked, "Excuse me, but if I wanted to see Judge Gabranth, where would I need to go?"

The Moogle said, "You'd have to go to the other side of Rabanastre, kupo. Our transportation crystals can take you their, kupo. But don't worry, because of the festival, it's for free today, kupo."

Realizing that this was his chance, Eurias asked, "Then may I please use the crystal?"

"Sure thing, kupo."

Reaching out and touching the crystal, Eurias felt a strange sensation throughout his entire body as the powerful Magick pulsed around him, before it deposited him near the West Gate.

From there, he saw posters and flyers about the goings-on, and wondered why he hadn't learned of this before today.

Running into the throng, he noted that the street was empty—there must've been a parade about to begin.

Wedging and forcing himself through until he was able to see what was happening, Eurias heard a trumpet sounding just as he achieved his immediate goal.

At that signal, the doors of the palace opened, and all the off-duty troops came out.

Marching perfectly in-step, faces forward, the soldiers came in rows of twelve—just enough to fit in the street without the risk of trampling any of the onlookers.

First, it was the infantry—clad in their dress armor, they held their weapons forward and upright.

Then came the mages—those skilled in the different Magicks, whether it be White, Black, Time, Arcane, or anything imagineable. Clad in their scarlet robes, they were truly majestic to behold.

After the mages, there rode the chocobo-mounted cavalry. Not quite as heavily armored as the infantry, but faster and with an altitude advantage, they were ever more deadly.

And then, finally, there was a steel platform pulled by six chocobos. It covered most of the street, and was roughly twelve feet wide by twenty feet long. Upon it sat the Judge Magisters, resplendent in all their glory.

But Eurias's eyes ignored all but one: the strongest of them, Judge Gabranth.

He didn't wear his helmet today, as he usually did—this time, he was the only Judge Magister that didn't.

Standing erect with his arms crossed, swords in their scabbards, Gabranth looked like the paragon of physical and mental power.

To Eurias's young eyes, he looked as though a God.

The Judge Magister's eyes were subtly shifting, ever looking for potential threats—it was the way he was. And as Gabranth observed the young boy, Eurias could've sworn that he saw the legendary war hero nod at him, as if he were already someone important.

All the rest of that day, and all of that night, Eurias held on to that image of Gabranth nodding at him. The approval of his hero was what he wanted more than anything, and he felt as though he already had it.

______

**This work is steadily getting longer, folks. Right now, I'm estimating about three to five more chapters or so of FFXII-verse before Naruto (i.e. Eurias) returns to his homeworld. Ultimately, this fic will NOT have a pairing at all, unless I change my mind – and if I do, then it will be Ashe – or maybe Penelo. Please, tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter Two: Mist

(Chapter Two)

Just days after having seen Gabranth up close for the first time, Kioran decided that Eurias was good enough at reading for him to be given the letter.

Puzzled, Eurias asked, "Sir, what's the letter for? It looks rather old."

"Indeed it is—nearly as old as you are. Have you ever wondered where you came from, or why you could never br adopted? This letter was left for us to give to you when you were old enough to read it. Only the author knows what it says, because we've never dared to read it. Eurias, this letter is for you… from Judge Gabranth himself."

Eyes widening in awe, Eurias reverently opened it, making certain to read every single word with diligence.

_I don't know what your birth name was, but you have never used it – not since I named you as Eurias. I found you on the plains, took you to the orphanage where you now reside. At the moment I saw you, I knew that you were different from any other, just as I am. For this reason, you are to be my heir in all matters, Eurias. If you are reading this, it means that you are now old enough for me to publicly acknowledge you as my heir. If you wish, I will make you strong. I shall make you powerful in every way, so that you are feared and admired by all._

_Reputation can be a powerful tool, or a damning weakness, Eurias. I would not take you in previously because I was still building my reputation. But now that you are older, I can bring you under my wing without damaging my image in the eyes of the commoners._

_If you wish for me to take you under my care now, go to the palace gates and ask the guard for Noah, and I will seek you out within a day._

_One day, others will ask: 'Where do you come from?' And your answer will make you dangerous in their eyes, someone whom they dare not cross. When they ask you 'Whom do you call Father?', you may tell them, 'Gabranth.'_

_Gabranth, Captain of the Archadian Military._

Trembling in awe, Eurias felt as if the Gods had just offered him a place at their side.

Holding the letter tightly to his chest, Eurias quickly ran out of the building, his young feet pounding the streets. By the time he got to the palace gates, he was thoroughly exhausted. One of the guards asked, "Hey kid, where's the fire?"

With a huge grin on his face, Eurias said, "I'm looking for Noah. Is he here?"

Frowning, the guard was about to respond in the negative when a bone-chilling voice answered for him: "Noah isn't here, nor is he even real. But it is still good to see that you have come so soon to me, Eurias."

The guard turned a hundred and eighty degrees in terror at the sudden sound of Gabranth's voice. "Judge Gabranth, Sir!"

Dismissing the guard with a gauntleted wave, Gabranth slowly but deiberately walked towards Eurias. "Judge Gabranth, Sir, can I ask you a question? Why did you even bother to show up at the parade today? I mean, I always wanted to see you up close, but was it really proper for a soldier to do stuff like that?"

Removing his helmet, Gabranth let out a hollow chuckle as he said, "Even I must obey orders, Eurias. When Emperor Solidor gives you a command, you follow it, no matter how much you may dislike it or find it improper."

Nodding, Eurias took every word to heart. Ever since the first time he'd even heard of Gabranth, he knew that he wanted to be a soldier – and eventually, a Judge Magister.

________

(Three years later…)

Eurias was now eight, and had grown rather well. He wasn't exceptionally tall or muscular for his age, but he did look quite mature. Three years of living with – and training under – Judge Gabranth had made him look almost like an adult in his expression, if in no other way.

Eurias had also begun to create his Crucible, as he called it – a set of self-imposed rules he'd try to live by.

On any given day, you would find Eurias outside training with Gabranth if the weather was good – inside studying otherwise. He still did his studies outside as well – usually while trying to deflect one or both of Gabranth's blades.

But with each passing day, it became ever more ruthless as the Judge Magister tried to make Eurias unleash that power he'd felt before – and could still feel today.

Deciding that just attacking the boy with swords wouldn't be enough, time seemed to stop as he channeled Mist into his gauntlets and sheathed his blades before aiming at Eurias with his Quickenings.

"**Fulminating Darkness!"**

The pulse of energy tore through the air, hitting Eurias and making him feel as though his body would be sheared apart from the pure force of the attack, but he survived it. That was when Gabranth was suddenly in front of him, about to punch him into oblivion.

"**Ruin Impendent!"**

Gabranth punched Eurias three times with such power that it seemed to pierce the very fabric of space and time before Gabranth stepped back and let fly another punch twice as brutal the ones before. Feeling that there was no reason for such brutality, Eurias was about to say so. Pity for him that Gabranth wasn't done yet.

"**Flame Purge!"**

Eight blades appeared from nowhere and impaled Eurias from all directions as Gabranth then summoned an unholy fire to incinerate the boy.

As the black flames rushed near – to purge him, he idly pondered – Eurias suddenly pulsed with a sickening power of his own that dispelled the swords in his body and rendered the flames harmless.

A scarlet cloak of energy enveloped him, rejuvenated him – gave him power.

Azure eyes turned to orbs of blood, Eurias lunged at Gabranth, a feral roar tearing from his throat. Mist began swirling around his left arm as the young boy unleashed his first Quickening.

"**Grand Vortex!"**

Still in the air, a blaze of Mist – as well as another energy that neither he nor Gabranth could identify – took the form of a drill around Eurias's arm before it extended and left him as (true to its name) a grand vortex of destruction.

As the attack rushed towards Gabranth, however, the Judge Magister simply dispelled it with a wave of his hand.

Eurias fell to a knee, panting. While he didn't relish the pain, he understood what had happened.

Gabranth had decided that, in order for Eurias to unlock his first Quickening – and thus, the usage of Mist – he had to be put in a life-or-death situation.

The Judge Magister walked towards Eurias, silent as a ghost, as he passed out – but the boy swore he heard a monstrous voice beckoning to him…

_________

Eurias sprung to his feet, hand moving towards his blade, only to find it missing.

He found that he was standing knee-deep in water, and when he turned around, he backpedaled a good ten feet or so.

For in front of him stood a massive gate, behind which was an enormous conflagration of energy from which a single, demonic eye slowly formed.

The diameter of the eye was easily twice as large as Eurias himself was, and it's iris was a crimson ring of blood. The first thing that came to mind upon looking at it – and why this was so, Eurias couldn't fathom – was the word "fox".

Not having any clue of what might have happened, Eurias demanded, "Who are you, and where am I? What is this place?!"

From beyond the gate, he heard a voice; it was a horrible sound, like the roar of some gigantic beast or thunder of a hellish storm.

"_**Foolish human, you would dare to speak thus to the likes of **_**me**_**? I am the mightiest of all monsters, the King of Demons! I am the Storm in the Heart of the Sun, the Inferno!"**_

Deciding that his best chance – regardless of the cage – was to treat this "Inferno" as an equal, Eurias said, "Some Demon King you are, locked up like that."

"_**So you have spine, boy. I would enjoy ripping it out of your back were I able to do so. However, you are correct. I am sealed within an ubreakable cage – one that I cannot escape, only be released from. I am called the Kyuubi no Yoko, and I am sealed within your body."**_

Quietly muttering the strange name, Eurias said, "I don't believe you. There are no monsters in Ivalice with a name that sounds anything like that!"

The Eye closed for a moment as if in thought, before saying, _**"No, I don't suppose that there are. However, I tell you nothing but the truth when I say this: you and I are not of this world."**_

Stepping back even further, Eurias was about to protest when he saw a flurry of thoughts not his own.

_A nine-tailed fox the size of a castle attacking some sort of village_

_A burst of smoke, from which an equally large purple toad appeared._

_A man who looked very similar to Eurias saying something in a strange language before a blinding light obscured everything._

_A horrifying demon devouring the man's soul…_

"_**These are my memories of our last moments in the world of your birth – a world without a name. This accursed seal is designed to contain me 'till Eternity's end, and to give you my power. With it, you can become – by far – the most powerful Judge Magister in the history of Ivalice. You must only look me in the eye and speak your true name to activate the seal. I tell you this only so that I shall not be held prisoner by a weakling."**_

Panting as he got up, Eurias asked, "My… true name?"

"_**Yes, the name you were born with. Look within your soul, and you shall find it."**_

Eurias wanted to become a Judge Magister more than anything, and he also wanted to impress Judge Gabranth by becoming powerful.

Closing his eyes, Eurias steadied his breathing and began to meditate as he had been taught the year before.

As he reopened his eyes, a light seemed to shine through as he spoke in the language of his birthplace.

"Kai: Uzumaki Naruto!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the room seemed to collapse in upon itself, and the swirling mass of energy – chakra, he now knew – surged from behind the gate and flooded into every fiber of his being.

Feeling alive in the burning sensation, Eurias let out a feral roar as the Kyuubi's roar seemed to join it.

________

**Well there ya have it, Chapter 2. I finally introduced the Kyuubi and Eurias knows what his real name is. However, I'm going to keep using the name "Eurias", even when he returns to his homeworld. Anyway, I decided on the pairing, which will be Eurias/Ashe. Next chapter will introduce our favorite Dalmascan princess, and I'll probably return Eurias to the Narutoverse a chapter or two after that.**


	4. Chapter Three: Return

(Chapter Three)

Eurias, now twelve, had just entered the Dreadnought, _Leviathan_. He wasn't a Judge Magister yet, but Emperor Vayne Solidor had created a new position of Duke for him.

Eurias had been wondering why he was assigned command of the vessel, but once he'd set foot in the Brig, he instantly understood.

The prisoner was the only woman in the room, and one of the guards was pestering another.

"C'mon man, just give me five minutes with her! I mean, she's a prisoner, so we can do whatever we want with her, right?"

The second guard shook his head, and replied, "I feel for ya, buddy, but orders are orders. I'm not supposed to leave my post or open this door for any reason at all until our new commander arrives. So we're _all_ lonely. But I, for one, ain't gettin' on the Duke's bad side."

With no real inflection at all, Eurias said, "And that is exactly why, if I kill someone in this room, it won't be you."

The two soldiers immediately snapped to attention, turned to face the door, and saluted as they called out, "Duke Eurias, Sir!"

Returning their salutes with a silencing glare, Eurias asked, "Now just why were you trying to get in the lady's cell? People might get the idea that you're after something…"

The man looked nervous as hell as he was about to respond, but Eurias cut him off.

"Don't bother explaining. I know exactly what was going on – you'd be a fool to believe otherwise. You will report to my office tomorrow at directly sunrise and remain there – at attention – until I arrive. If you at any point change your posture once you're there, or if you are late even one second, I _will_ know about it, and you will be punished."

As he turned around, most likely to ponder, he nonchalantly asked, "Are you _still_ here, soldier?"

With a hasty "No Sir", the soldier exited the room and headed for the Duke's quarters.

Then, Eurias turned back to the guard who'd been doing his job and said, "Identify yourself by name, rank, pay, and amount of leave."

Still at attention, the guard said, "Yes Sir! I am Private Grakai Fealthanos; I'm paid 200 gil per week, and I currently have four days of leave saved up."

Watching Grakai with a seemingly lifeless eye, Eurias said, "Very well then. Private, you are now promoted to Sergeant, effective immediately. I'm giving you a twenty percent raise, and you may spend the rest of the week on the ground. Dismissed."

With a grateful "Yes Sir!", Grakai exited the room, leaving Eurias and the prisoner alone in the Brig.

Turning to face her completely, Eurias said, "You are Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, correct? I apologize for my subordinate's… inappropriate behavior. He will be dealt with soon. If you have any complaints, you may relay them to me, and if I find doing so to be within reason, I shall correct it. Are there any questions?"

Frowning at how a child so young had such complete control over men twice his age, she asked, "Duke Eurias, just who are you that they obey without question?"

Closing his eyes for a moment, he told her, "I am Eurias. At the age of five, I was taken under the wing – trained and taught by – my hero, Judge Gabranth. Over the years, I have forged a reputation of my own – a reputation that has earned me the fear, and therefore, respect, of my subordinates. I reward those who follow orders, and punish those who do not. My official title is Duke, but I have been promised the title of Judge Magister once I am a few years older."

Princess Ashelia scoffed and said, "Your hero is _Gabranth?_ I find absolutely nothing heroic about him in any way. And you – what makes you so special that a man like _Gabranth_ would take you under his wing?"

Anger in his voice, Eurias retorted, "You might be surprised, Ashelia. At least Gabranth didn't murder your father, eh?" (**Oh, the irony of the truth…**)

"No, I suppose not…"

Eurias turned to leave the Brig and assign another guard to it, but he was stopped with a request: "Duke Eurias, would you mind playing a game of chess with me? I haven't played in a long time."

Looking at the princess over his shoulder, he merely stared at her for a moment before saying, "That's… reasonable enough. Very well Princess Ashelia, I'll play a game or two."

With a small smile, the princess said, "Please, call me Ashe."

Eurias gave no indication that he'd heard her other than a slight nod as he found a chess set and opened the door prior to entering her cell and then closing it again.

Ashe was a good fighter and mage, but she realized that if Eurias really had been trained by the likes of Gabranth, she wouldn't stand a chance – not alone, at any rate.

So as she helped to set up the pieces, she tried to initiate some conversation.

_______

Duke Eurias walked onto the command bridge with the air of a man deep in thought. While he was technically one of the highest ranking officers, he wasn't actually there to give orders – that was what Judge Ghis was for. Eurias was merely there to instill proper discipline again.

So he stood near the door, observing everything that transpired and making mental notes of things he would have to improve. Often, it was seemingly little things, like how the officer in charge of communications never stood at attention, or how the navigator was at attention and wore her uniform correctly, but also had a small earring.

Unsure of whether it would be better to advise his soldiers in private or make examples of them, he chose to think about it.

Over the course of the day, his mind began to wander, and he remembered part of his earlier conversation with Ashe.

"_Tell me, Eurias, why do you fight?"_

"_I fight for the glory of the Empire, of course. What do _you_ fight for?"_

"_I fight… for the freedom of Dalmasca."_

For reasons he couldn't understand, Eurias wanted her to achieve her dreams, even though they were incompatible with his own.

That night, he spoke with the Kyuubi as he always did, contemplating his choices.

"I face so many destinies, but I cannot decide which road I wish to take. What would you advise?"

The monster's advice, however, did nothing to ease his mind: _**"Mortal, the road you take is your own business. Dwell not on it for long, though; I sense that we'll soon return to the world of your birth."**_

__________

Eurias awoke with a start.

Over the past week, he and the princess Ashe had become friends – or as close as possible for them, at any rate – and Eurias didn't really feel like leaving Ivalice.

As he was torn from his musings by the intruder alarm, the Judge-to-be quickly rolled out of bed, cast a quick spell to Summon his battle armor, grabbed his blades, and moved rapidly into the hall.

Another soldier ran beside him and said, "Sir, the intruders have infiltrated the Brig and freed the prisoners!"

Eyes wide with fury, he demanded, "Which ones?!"

Terrified, but still doing her job, the soldier replied, "Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca and Basch fon Ronsenburg. All other prisoners are accounted for, Sir."

Eurias suddenly stopped in his tracks before casting a low-level green Magick to instantly arrive where he sensed the alleged King-slayer's Mist signature to be.

When Eurias appeared in the engine room, he saw that a group of six people stood before him – Basch, Ashe, the Sky Pirates Balthier and Fran, and two humes named Vaan and Penelo.

Turning to face the group, with Judge Ghis entering from the far side, Eurias said, "It would seem that we've been infiltrated by little more than filth. Basch, Ashe, I am under orders to keep you two alive. If you return to your cells now, I shall permit your comrades to live as well – in prison, yes, but living nonetheless."

As Basch readied a battle-axe and Ashe drew a longsword, Eurias sighed and said, "I don't have to keep you unscathed, though."

With that, Judge Ghis and Eurias suddenly struck at the group, splitting them up; Ghis fighting Penelo, Balthier, and Fran while Eurias battled Ashe, Basch, and Vaan.

Ashe cast **Haste** on herself and her comrades while Basch and Vaan struck at the Duke with their weapons.

However, Eurias was stronger than Vaan and faster than Basch; while he was outnumbered three-to-one, he was worth ten of any of them.

He fought them using only his swords, confident in his ability, testing the limits of his strength. He parried a slash from Vaan and spun as he blocked Basch's incoming axe-stroke before Ashe finally forced him to use Magick – he cast **Esuna** to nullify her **Blind** spell.

However, that one second was all that the Dalmascan freedom fighters needed to prepare their Quickenings.

"**Red Spiral!"**

Vaan struck with his weakest (and for the moment, only) Quickening, before using it twice more with a couple of Mist Charges, causing red energy to rise up from the ground.

"**Northswain's Glow!"**

Ashe then used her Quickening, causing white lights to appear everywhere before converging on Eurias.

"**Fulminating Darkness!"**

Finally, Basch attacked with his own Quickening and sent a massive energy pulse screaming towards the Duke.

Eurias was hit full-on by all five Quickenings, but not seriously harmed. Then, however, the ambient Mist reacted, causing a Concurrence – just as they'd planned. In the pocket dimension formed by Quickenings, Eurias was nearly crushed by an obscene number of boulders.

Returning after the Cataclysm had subsided, Eurias noted that Judge Ghis now lay dead, and all six of them were ready to fight.

"So be it."

With those words, he channeled all of his Mist to prepare for a true Concurrence.

"**Grand Vortex!"**

Eurias used his weakest Quickening twice, each time attacking a different target: Penelo and Balthier, since they looked to be the weakest. The spiraling Mist drilled into them, causing intense pain. (**Like Red Spiral, but horizontal**)

"**Backlash!"**

Eurias used a pair of Mist Charges as Vaan had done, aiming at he and Ashe. Eurias leapt into the air and, using his swords, lashed out with a number of energy waves that greatly wounded their targets. (**Think "Whip Kick on steroids"****)**

Then, with another pair of Mist Charges, Eurias struck Basch and Fran with his most powerful Quickening of all.

"**Crimson Nightmare!"**

Red Mist streamed out from every pore in his body before it began moving towards the Dalmascan Resistance like a tidal wave of fire.

Eurias then asked, "Are you ready for a _real_ Concurrence?"

As he said those words, his own Mist, which permeated the room in much higher concentrations, began reacting until it formed a massive electrical surge: Ark Blast.

Eurias might have smiled if he'd been able to see their smoking – but living – bodies.

But seeing as the Reaper chose that moment to take him back to his homeworld, he never got the chance.

Screaming from the pain of being ripped apart on the subatomic level, Eurias unleashed the _other_ energy – the Fox's chakra – and yelled, "I'll be back!"

___________

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Fire Shadow – a title which, henceforth, shall be referred to as "Sandaime Hokage" – of the Village Hidden in the Leaves (henceforth referred to as "Hidden Leaf", "Leaf", or "Konohagakure no Sato" – "Konoha" for short), practically jumped out of his chair as the deafening explosion shattered the peaceful morning.

He didn't have to summon the ANBU, since they instantly appeared in his office, ready for orders.

Quickly going into what his subordinates jokingly called "Crisis Control Mode", the Sandaime began barking out orders: "Inu, Gama, Taka, go and investigate that explosion! Shishi, Gumo, Neko, battle stations! We don't know if this is some surprise hostility or something else, but we must prepare for the worst! Yamato, be ready to evacuate the civilians at a moment's notice, but not until I give the signal!"

________

Hatake Kakashi, the ANBU unit codenamed "Inu", along with his teammates "Gama" and "Taka" leapt among the trees with a sense of urgency, seeking the source of the disturbance.

Smoke and ash were still rising from the crater site, and by the look of things, a forest fire could start at any moment. So Kakashi, also in his "Crisis Control Mode", said, "Gama, start putting out those brushfires while they're still small! Taka, scout for any nearby civilians! I'm going on to the crater!"

With a twin cry of "Hai, Inu-taicho!", the ANBU did as their superior officer commanded them. Gama set out to using low-level Suiton jutsu while Taka performed **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** in order to create duplicates to aid with her search.

Kakashi, meanwhile, just ran all the faster as he drew his father's Chakra Sabre.

But upon arriving at the crater, he nearly fell to his knees as he thought he saw a ghost.

"It can't be _you_… Yondaime-sama?"

______________

**Well, that's as good of a stopping place as any. Yes, I know, that last bit probably wasn't funny to most of you, but I thought it kind of was. At any rate, Eurias has now returned to the world of his birth. And now that he has, what the **_**hell**_** is going to happen?! You'll have to wait for the next chapter, just like everyone else.**


End file.
